It’s been a bit over a week since I saw The Last Jedi, and I’m…well, not speechless, but close. It was a great film that I very much enjoyed, with tons of awesome moments that made me either geek out, gasp in awe, or weep.

I saw three movies this week: a fantasy adventure with gods and monsters, a rousing action sci-fi space film, and a crappy comedy with jokes so juvenile they could have come from the mouths of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. All three of those films were Thor: Ragnarok. Spoilers below the cut.Continue reading →

When discussing an adaptation, it is impossible not to refer back to the source material, if only to acknowledge what it was adapted from. Such is the case with this review, and it’s one of those things that I have to acknowledge, because it’s so close to my own heart.

Comparisons will also be made to other adaptations of the same source material, and this movie is no different.

I went into the theater expecting great things from It (2017), and I was not disappointed. I was, however, very much surprised.

Hi. I saw this movie about four hours ago, as of the writing of this review, and I’m still traumatized. Join me under the cut to find out why this is such a good thing.

It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that a lot of my sense of right and wrong came from superheroes. Specifically, they came from Spider-Man (power and responsibility), Supergirl (hope, help and compassion)…

…and Wonder Woman.

While Supergirl has always been my favorite superhero, there is also a special place in my heart for Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. My dad, from whom I inherited my love of comics, was a Marvel fan as well as a guy, so I didn’t have much access to Wonder Woman’s earlier adventures. I came to her via the epic Crisis On Infinite Earths, and then in the 1986 reboot so lovingly guided by George Pérez. When I began collecting comics on my own, I began with Phil Jimenez’s run, and later Greg Rucka and Gail Simone. Between those four, they shaped Wonder Woman into the premiere superheroine. Not even Marvel has a female hero so iconic and emblematic.

Now, under the direction of the amazingly talented Patty Jenkins, we have a film which truly, completely captures the purest essence of the character. When I finally got out to the theater Thursday night to see the movie, I wasn’t watching an incredible actress or excellent cinematography.

When VIZ Media announced in 2014 that they acquired the rights to finally redistribute and redub Sailor Moon, to say the Western fan reaction was elated is a massive understatement. My friends joke that they could hear the screaming when I learned the news. They might not be wrong.Continue reading →

EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was written and published before Carrie Fisher’s death on December 27th. May the Force be with you, Carrie.

SPOILER WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first Star Wars property to hit the big screen that doesn’t follow the Skywalker bloodline, instead focusing on the age-old question: how did the Rebels get the Death Star plans? It’s a topic that’s been covered multiple times in the pre-Disney Expanded Universe, so much so that each one contradicts the other. We’ve had Kyle Katarn steal them from a secret Imperial base (Dark Troopers), Rebel dissidents on the Death Star transmitting the plans to Polis Massa (Battlefront II), Han Solo’s ex-girlfriend lead a suicide squad to get the plans off Toprawa (X-Wing, Rebel Dawn )…it’s a confusing slog, and that’s not counting the other continuity gaffes that make Disney’s jettisoning of the old EU look reasonable.Continue reading →